The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-08-10
THE PIECE PIECE OF BREAD.

~ :rs,'si Golden Argosy.
THE PIECE OF BREAD.
The young Duke de Hardimont was
passing some days at AK in Savoy, where
he was causing his famous mare Perichole
who had been broken winded since she
s caught q chill at the Derby-to take the
waters, when, glancing carelessly over the
paper one morning just after breakfast,
heread there the news Of the disaster OF
Richshoffen.
He emptied his glass Of Chartreuse,
laid his napkin down on the restaurant
table, gave his valet orders to pack his
trunks, took the express two hours later.
for Paris and hurried to the recruiting
office for the purpose Of enlisting IN q
regiment Of the ine.s - 49,, ~. :;
Now, though the Duke de Hardimont
hadled the eneryating life Of q petit creve,
a-f1is was the term in mode at that time:
from 10 to 25, though he had done his
best to degrade his nature In the stables
Of the race course and In the tUudoirss
Of the opera singers, yet there Weresoc-
casions on which he could not forget
that Enguerraud de Hardimont died OF
the plague at Tunis on the same day with
: st. Louis, that Jean de Hardimont
cam1nanded the Great Companies under
Du Gueschu, and that Francois Henri
de Hardimont was killed while making
a charge with Maison Rouge at Fonte-
noY. However enery rating his scandalous
and senseless amours with Lucy Violettess
the prima donna Of the Nudites
iennes, yet when the. young duke learned
that q battle had been lost. by the French
on French soil, he felt the blood mount to
his forehead, and experienced for the mo-
ments a. horrible sensation, as nshe had
Just received slap in the face.
Thus it was that in the early part OF
November, of. 1870, having re-entered
Paris with his regiment, which: formed
part of the corps Of, Winery, Henri de.
!. Hardimont, fusilier, third man of the
seeand line, and member Of the Jockey,
club, fosmetwith his company, part of
I the main guard in front Of the redoubt OF
Hautes Bruyeres, q position fortified In
haste and protected by the cannon OF the
fort Of Bicetre. - y, ,s.,;;i;..,j..g1 5,,,i.
The scene was desolate one-a road
fianked by stunted trees and brokensup by
muddy by paths trayersing the sicEy
looking fields Of the suburbs; and on one
side of this road a deserted inn, an inn
with arbors, ofiwhich the. soldiers had
made their guard house. An engagement
S had taken place there few days before;
the grape shot had cut asunder several
= ofthe saplings by. the roadside, and they
/ all bore on their bark the white scars leit
isby the shot. AS to the house itself, its
.9<>s c6r fho
been sunk in by q shell, and the walls, OF
the color Of muddy wine, looked as It
they had been painted with ~bloods-a.eehe-
empty arbors, rooted by network OF dark
branches; the casks turned bottom up
ward, the swing, the wet cords OF which Whh
creaked in the wind, and the words over
the door defaced by balls Private rooms:
Vermouth: Wine 60 centimes a ,iTe"-
which served asa frame to the picture OF
s q dead drabbit with two billiard cues crossed
and tied together by ribbon underneath,
all recalled with cruel irony the Sunday
pleasures Of the people in days gone by.
And overhead q dreary winter sky, across
which were passing large leaden clouds
asky low, gloomy and threatening.
AT the door of the inn the young duke
stood motionless, his chassepot slung
across his shoulder, his kepe drawn over
his eyes, his benumbed hands thrust into
the pockets of his red trousers, shivering
inside his sheep skin cloak. Hehad given
himself up to gloomy meditation, the
soldier of defeat, and was watching with
: hearthroken glance the line of hills fading
away In the mist, above which arose, in
! rapid succession, accompanied each time
by detonation, the white puffs of smoke
Of the Kupp cannon.
All at once he was conscious OF a sensa-
ton Of hunger. He knsb sdDWM on one
5 knee and took from kiSS knapsack, which
rested against the wall beside him, a
large piece Of ammunition bread; then, as
he had lost his knife, he broke it off bit
by bit, with his teeth, and ate 1t slowly.
But after q few mouthfuls he had had
enough; the bread was hard and had Q.
bitter taste. And there would bei mo
fresh bread until tomorrow s distribution,
and then only in case the cOmmissariat
should think fit to distribute it. The pro-
fession was, in truth, at times q rather
rough one; and all at once there came to
mind the thought of what he used. to call
his hygienic break kfasts,s when, on the
morning after supper Of too stimula-
ting character, he. would sit opposite q
window on the ground floor Of the Cafe
Anelais, and order-good heavensl the
merest trife-an omelette with asparagus,
and the head waiter, knowing his habits,
would place on the table slender bottle
Of old Seville, resting softly in q basket,
and uncork it carefully. Deuce take it!
That was pleasant time after all, and he
would never be able to- accustom himself
tn this miserable fare. = $50
And in a moment of impatience the
Young man flung the rest Of the piece OF
bread he had been eating in the mud.
At the same instanta private of the hne
came out Of the ruin; he stopped down,
picked up the piece of bread, Withdrew
few steps, wiped the mud from it With his
sleeve, and began to deyo1r it eagerly.
Henri de Hardimont was, already ashamed
of his action, and gazed with pity at the
poor devil WHO had given proof of SO good
an appetite. He was tall and loose built
youth with feyerish eyes and beard that
BETRAYED recent sojourn in the hospital,
md so thin that his shoulder blades were
sharply defined through the cloth of his
well worn cape.
sYou seem to be very hungry, COM
rade,n said the duke, approaching the SOL
dier.
ssAsyou see, /" responded the latter, with
his mouth full.
ssForgive me, then; if I had known you
would like to eat it, 1 should not have
thrown away my bread"
ssThere is no harm done," replied the
soldier, 'sI am not SO very delicate in my
tastes"
ssNo matter,'' said the nobleman; "what
I did was wrong, and / reproach myself
for it, But I do not want you to take
away with you a bad opinion of me, and
as / have some old cognac in my canteen
-parbleu, we will drink it together
The man had finished eating. The duke
and he each took a swallow Of brandy in
turn-the acquaintance was made.
sAnd you are called-W said the SOL
dier..
ssHardimont, p responded theduke, sup.
pressing his title and the prefix to his
s name. stAnd you?'
ssJean Victor. I have only recently Joined
the company-I'ye just left the ambu-
lancet was wounded at Chatillon. All,
it was very pleasant in the ambulance;
the nurse gives one such good horse flesh
soup. But I had only scratch, and the
major gave me my discharge. So much
the worse for me, for I shall now begin to